Dental level



March 9 1926.`

H. F. WAITE DENTAL LEVEL Filed March 1 1921 patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED STATES PAT HARRY F. WAI'ne, or NEWJYQRK, N. Y.

, DENTAL LEVEL.

Application led March 1, 1921. Serial No. 448,792.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY F. VAITE, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of the city of New York, county of Queens, and VState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Dental Levels, of whichl the following is a specication. f

The object of my invention is to provide a dental level which may be placed lin the mouth of a patient so that a patients head may be levelled while at restin a dental chair preparatory to theuse of kX-rays so that the head of the patient will always be in the same position with regard to the X-rays whenever a radiograph is taken, whereby corresponding c exposures will always be had in a set of radiographs and changes in condition can be readily identied. llhis object is accomplished by my invention, one embodiment of which is here inafter more particularly set forth.

For a more exact description of. my in vention, reference is to be had to the acco-mpanying drawings, forming a parthereof, in which- Y Figure 1 is a plan view of a complete level, and

Figure 2 is a similar view with a guide removed.

Figure 3 is a side elevation taken at ri gl'it angles to the View shown in Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the level.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Throughout the various views of the drawings, similar reference characters designate similar parts.

My improved level 1 is provided with a liquid containing vessel 2 with a closed and transparent top 3 under which is a small bubble 4 of air or vapor which will not condense, as is custo-mary in spirit levels. The bottom of the vessel 2 is secured to a disc 5 which has a central perfo-ration through which a spindle 6 is passed to form a pivot and this spindle 6 also passes through a clevis 7 which at its other end is split to receive a heart shaped plate 8 which is secured by a swaged post 9 which will be described below. The clevis 7 is perforated near the disc 5 to receive. a pin 10 which engages a. leaf spring 11 which is The post 9 is provided with a socket 15 at its upper .end whichmay receive a lug or slotted pin 16 extending from a holder 17 which carries a bail 18 which is pre-ferably shaped substantially, as shown, and

provided with laterally extendingends 19 Y which are adapted to take under and engage the lower surface of the plate 8, holes 2O being provided forv this purpose, these holes being so situated and arranged that the ends 19will be separated according to the width of the dental arch in connection with which they are employed.

The holder 17 is extended inwardly to receive a pin 21 which is fixed to a guide 22 which has laterally extending arms 23 and an index point 24, the purpose of which is to show where the joint between the center upper teeth should be with regard to the. instrument. If the patient has no such teeth the instrument may be inverted and used with regard to the corresponding center of the lower teeth. 1f no! center teeth are found in either jaw this pointer may be placed with regard to any other convenient point which can be readily identified.

1f the vwire bail 18 be not employed, as is often the case, the pin 21 may be placed where the pin 15 normally rests and then the apparatus is in the condition shown in Figure 2.

As the use of the level is simplest when the bail 18 is removed, its use in this condition'will now be set forth. Its most nor mal use is when the patients head is thrown back at substantially 45 degrees, and then the plate 8 is put in the patients mouth and the vessel 2 is substantially horizontal, the pointer 24 being placed on the line between the center teeth of the upper jaw. If there be no such line because such teeth are lacking, this vessel 2 is thrown through an angle of 180 degrees and then the pointer 24 may be placed between the correspond ing teeth of the lower jaw. If the head be held vertical, the vessel 2 will bein the position shown in Figure 2 with regard to the plate 8 and if the index Apoint 24 lis placed opposite the line between the lower teeth, the vessel 2 will be thrown through an..

. mouth of the same and an adjustably and angle of 180 degrees. l l Y e There are times, however, when the head of the patient must be observed in aposition which is neither e'degrees to the normal or vertical, but whenthe head must be substantially 90 degrees to the normal,

that is a substantiallyjprone position.

Vhen this is the casethe index point 2li is not -sufhcient as the plate resting in the mouth of the patient may be thrown a little one way or the other outl of true, while the levelr remains true. To overcome this defect the bail 18 `is employed with its ends 19 inserted in suitable holes' 2O according to the width of the dental arch and then the apparatus is as showny in Figure 1, except that the vessel'2 is at right angles 'to the position in which it iis-shown and the bail 18 is then placed between the lips and gums or teeth of the patient, the index point 2li beingrlocated with regard to a fixed line or point of' the jaw, as above described, and then the dentalv arch is held in lixed relation to the level and it is easy to properly positionthepatients headl with regard to they exposure which is `made immediately thereafter and before the head is shifted.

Thile 'l have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that it is not restricted thereto, but that it is broad venough to lcover all structures that come within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is :y

1. A dental level 'comprising a plate shaped and itted so that it may be placed between the teeth of a patient and in the pivotally mounted spirit level vconnected therewith which may be placed in any of several positions with regard to the plate.

y2. A dental level composed of a plate which is shaped so that it may be placed between the teeth of `a patient and in his mouth, a clevis connected to said plate and a spirit level pivotally connected to the clevis so that either face of the plate may be uppermost when in the mouth of a patient. p' f. Y

3. A dental level ycomposed of a plate which is cut and shaped so that it may be placed between the teetlrof a patient, a

yspirit level adjustablyr and pivotally connected to said'plate andv which may be placed in any of several positions with regard to the plate and an index pointer connectedto said plate :tor facilitating the placing of the same in a properposition in the mouth of a patient. ,Y Y

4. A dental level composed of a plate, a spirit level adjustably and pivotally con'- nected to the plate so that it may be held inany of several positions lwith regard to the plate and a bail secured to the plate and adapted to pass between the gums or teeth and lips of a patient. p

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day ot February, 1921.

HARRY F. warrig."v 

